1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for rapid determination of composition, of crude oils and fractions thereof, as well as other substances and obtaining the information necessary to assess the yield of commercially valuable fuel and lube oil fractions, for example, in a single process. In particular, the present invention is directed to a method and system for determining yields and compositions in terms of boiling point distributions and hydrocarbon types breakdown, across the boiling range of interest, and determining the changes in chemical composition and yields in upgrading and/or conversion processes, compiling a preliminary evaluation of a variety of geochemical parameters or biomarkers for the correlation to fingerprint identification, maturity, origins, etc., and compiling experimental data to chemical and physical properties.
2. Background of the Technology
Gas Chromatography is a chemical analysis instrument for separating chemicals in a complex sample. A gas chromatograph uses a narrow tube, known as a column, through which different chemical constituents of a sample pass in a gas stream. The gas stream is also called the carrier gas or mobile phase. Gas Liquid Chromatography (GLC), or simply Gas Chromatography (GC) is a type of chromatography in which the mobile phase is a gas. The chemical constituents within the sample pass through the column at different rates, depending on their various chemical and physical properties and their interaction with a specific column filling. This column filling is called the stationary phase and is a microscopic layer of liquid on an inert solid support in the column. The column is often flexible so that a very long column can be wound into a small coil.
The column(s) in a GC are contained in an oven, the temperature of which is precisely controlled (e.g., electronically). The rate at which a sample passes through the column is directly proportional to the temperature of the column. The higher the column temperature is, the faster the sample moves through the column. However, when a sample moves quickly through the column, it interacts less with the stationary phase, and the analytes are less separated.
As the chemical constituents exit the end of the column, they are detected and identified electronically. The stationary phase separates the different components, causing each one to exit the column at a different time, which is called the retention time. Other parameters can also be used to alter the order or time of the retention, such as the carrier gas flow rate and the temperature.
However, conventional GC may require high resolution techniques in order to provide a satisfactory analysis of the chemical constituents of a complex sample.